The Berks County Earth Day Celebration will hold its 25th annual event on Sunday, April 21, rain or shine, at Riverfront Park from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. New additions this year include a Farmer’s Market and Art Contest. The entire event will once again be powered “off the grid” using only sunlight, battery storage, and people power.

The free Earth Day event will feature a farmer’s market with a variety of vendors.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, meats, honey, and other items will be available for purchase.

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Replacing the annual poetry contest this year will be an art contest with submissions from the area’s sixth through eighth grades. Winning selections will be displayed in the Children’s Tent during the event. Three $100 art store gift cards will be awarded for first place. Second- and third-place winners will also be chosen from each grade level, with cash or gift card prizes being award to each. Local artists Bruce Becker and Sandra Kaye will judge the entries. Becker is an internationally recognized oil painter. He is best known for his painting “Kindness and Compassion” and a book of the same name about the 2006 Nickel Dimes schoolhouse shootings. Kaye is a fused glass and portrait artist with more than 25 years’ experience. Her work has been exhibited across the country and has received numerous awards.

The off-the-grid system, introduced at last year’s event, was conceived and constructed by Jim Crater, president of Recycling Services Inc. (RSI), a nonprofit recycling and energy center in North Coventry. It features a solar array, lead acid batteries from Deka, and recycled exercise equipment. Attendees are encouraged to try the system for themselves and contribute their “power” to the event.

Returning this year will be music by local artists, children’s activities, workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, and interactive displays for all ages. Exhibits will include information on energy and water conservation, alternative energy and alternative vehicles, land use, gardening, clean air and water, non-toxic chemicals for home and gardens, composting, recycling, sewage sludge, and environmentally aware businesses. Visitors can look forward to some familiar favorites including Pocono Snake and Animal Farm. There will also be food available for purchase.

This year’s vendors include Stephan’s Concessions and Good Eatz Green Café.

While exhibits and activities will conclude at 5 p.m., music on the main stage will continue until 7 p.m.

Canned and other nonperishable food items will be collected at the information booth to benefit Opportunity House. Attendees are encouraged to bring used InkJet cartridges to the Cartridge World booth, and car batteries, which Deka/East Penn Manufacturing will collect along Riverfront Drive. Raffle tickets for eco-friendly products and services will be available to purchase at the information booth.

This year’s event was made possible with the help of the following sponsors: the City of Reading, Recycling Services Inc., 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Deka Batteries, Giorgio Foods Inc., Enersys, Boxaroo, Fromm Electric Supply, Natural Awakenings Lancaster-Berks, Reading Community Players, C.F. Heckman & Son Inc., Berks Digital, Kittatinny Group of the Sierra Club, Scott E. Roseberry DDS, M.J. Reider Associates, and Rossello Design.

The Berks County Earth Day Committee is a 501c3 nonprofit organization registered under the Berks Recycling Coalition. BCEDC is a group of volunteers whose sole mission is to organize a yearly event to commemorate Earth Day. For more information, visit www.earthdayberks.org or www.facebook.com/earthdayberks.